US global dominance 'set to wane'
Saturday, 22 November 2008
US economic, military and political dominance is likely to decline over the next two decades, according to a new US intelligence report on global trends, according to Internet.
The National Intelligence Council (NIC) predicts China, India and Russia will increasingly challenge US influence.
It also says the dollar will no longer be the world's major currency, and food and water shortages will fuel conflict.
However, the report concedes that these outcomes are not inevitable and will depend on the actions of world leaders.
The US will remain the single most important actor but will be less dominant
"The next 20 years of transition to a new system are fraught with risks," says Global Trends 2025, the latest of the reports that the NIC prepares every four years in time for the next presidential term.
Nevertheless, it concludes: "The US will remain the single most important actor but will be less dominant."
The NIC's 2004 study painted a rosier picture of America's global position, with US dominance expected to continue.
But the latest report says that rising economies such as China, India and Brazil will offer the US more competition at the top of a multipolar international system.
A world with more power centres will be less stable than one with one or two superpowers, it says, offering more potential for conflict.
The National Intelligence Council (NIC) predicts China, India and Russia will increasingly challenge US influence.
It also says the dollar will no longer be the world's major currency, and food and water shortages will fuel conflict.
However, the report concedes that these outcomes are not inevitable and will depend on the actions of world leaders.
The US will remain the single most important actor but will be less dominant
"The next 20 years of transition to a new system are fraught with risks," says Global Trends 2025, the latest of the reports that the NIC prepares every four years in time for the next presidential term.
Nevertheless, it concludes: "The US will remain the single most important actor but will be less dominant."
The NIC's 2004 study painted a rosier picture of America's global position, with US dominance expected to continue.
But the latest report says that rising economies such as China, India and Brazil will offer the US more competition at the top of a multipolar international system.
A world with more power centres will be less stable than one with one or two superpowers, it says, offering more potential for conflict.